Bearsden War Memorial

  The original version of this post led with a photo of David Adams, Herbert's father, but I am finally able to update with a photo - not optimal quality - of Herbert.  This is taken from a photo of what may be the group he was training with in the RAF: We also have a great new photo  of Herbert's father, David.   He was a golfer, but also designed golf courses, made golf clubs and ran a sports outfitters in Royal Exchange Square in Glasgow.  David's shop has the sun shades out.  This would be approximately the same view (in 2018): This is now Costa Coffee. For more detail of David's story click  here , but the key element is that from 1910 he was the professional at Douglas Park Golf Club (for non-golfers in Bearsden, this is the one accessed from the road behind Hillfoot Station.) In 1916, David lived in a villa called Balcarres (now number 5 West Chapelton Crescent) with his wife Margaret (nee Margaret Rennie Wilkinson from Kinnell) and four ch...

James Hurll Duvoisin was born on 5th February 1891 at 6 Broomhill Avenue - in modern terms just on the Partick side of the junction of Crow Road and the Clydeside Expressway: His unusual surname was because his father, Emile Francois Duvoisin was Swiss by birth, but living in Glasgow for over twenty years (more than half his life) and was to become a naturalised citizen later in 1891.  Emile was an iron broker at the time of John's birth i.e. a trader (speculator?) in finished iron, buying and selling it as market prices dictated.  (See for example, the opening paragraph of this article , actually a description of a court case where a broker sued a client.) I don't know why Emile chose to settle in Glasgow - it's possible some family members were here.  In 1886 he married Sarah Hurll of Woodneuk, Cadder, youngest daughter of the family who owned the brickworks at Glenboig: It's not clear whether marriage led to a business partnership between Emile and the Hurlls or the ...

This post covers the only two civilians on the War Memorial, including the only woman. Sophia Campbell Edward was born on 28th March 1906 at 13 Queens Gate in the leafy west end of Glasgow.  This address has been renamed and renumbered as 128 Dowanhill Street: Note the house to the right (black door) still retains the original number 14 from it's Queens Gate days. Her father was George Edward (then aged 40), a jeweller.  Her mother was Charlotte Robertson Edward (nee Moir, then aged 29).  Sophia was born one day before their first wedding anniversary and was named after Charlotte's mother.  I suspect she was known as Sophy or Sophie but have used Sophia in this post. Four years later and Sophia had two younger brothers, David (born 1908, named after George's father) and George Moir (born 1910); the 1911 Census finds the parents away and the three children at home with three servants, a cook, a housemaid and a nurse. The next thing we know about the family is that the...